iest kid in the world. the grand finale of a 350-year space odyssey. oppressive heat and humidity hecht hits the east coast and still won't budge in the midwest. and the retail wars. reality tv's queen assumes a major chain and you won't believe for what. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm randall pinkston in for betty nguyen. if all goes as planned the 135th and last planned flight will

conclu conclude. it's the end of the shuttle era and the end at least for now of america's ability to put astronauts in space. the weather at the kennedy space center is ideal for the landing and torell brown is there. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. for the first time since 1962 america does not have a vehicle to put its own astronauts in space. it's one that's been debated, brought criticism and brought tears and anger. but on this day the last shuttle will be celebrated. ♪ god bless america >> reporter: it was a patriotic start to the final day. this morning "atlantis" preparing to touch down at the kennedy space center one last time. >> thank you to america for supporting this program and we'll be on the ground in a few short hours hopefully. >> two, one, zero. >> reporter: it's been 30 years of spectacular lift-offs and landings. during that time the international space station was

built and nearly 200 satellites carried into orbit. there were also dark reminders that exploration comes at a price. two accidents kill 14d accidents. those who have watched the ups and downs for decades are sad to see it scrubbed for good. >> there have been so many strideses on and much has been done as a result of the space program that it's a shame to see it go. we're extraordinarily brought of it. >> reporter: but it doesn't mean the end of exploring the final frontier. the u.s. will rely on russ shah's so i use spacecraft and commercial companies to take over cargo runs and missions to the space station and thousands of layoffs are looming. about 2,000 pleas at kennedy's space center are going to get pink slips. "atlantis" is slated to go on display next year. >> the projection is that it will draw more people on a year-round basis than the shuttles ever did. >> their flying days may be over, but with all the shuttles

going to exhibits, it's certain their legacies will live on. so will nasa, will the u.s. continue to be a world leader in space exploration? one nasa official says it has to remain a national priority. already india, china, and russia are making big strides in their space program. randall? >> terrell brown at the kennedy space center. thanks. let's get more on this morning's historic landing on cbs's consultant bill randall. good morning, bill. >> good moving, randall. >> the shuttle comes to an end after three decades. what in your opinion have been the most significant accomplishments? >> you know, when you look back over the last 30 years the shuttle has been operating it's hard to pin down one thing. it was the only one ever built and of course this is the only manned spacecraft that gave anyone a chance go up and work on a satellite, retrieve it as we all saw with the hubble space

telescope, the ability to repair the telescope and turn it into one of the world's premier observatories. i think all the mechanisms they did to make it work will be the hall mark of the shuttle program, plus, randall, the sheer grandeur, the sheer rocket boosters and fire and thunder will be things people will miss. >> not to mention the technical achievement of so many moving parts. another question now, what is nasa's next plan for delivering human beings into space? >> well, you know, part of the controversy is the bush administration had a plan to return to the moon. the obama administration concluded it was unaffordable, and canceled it. in exchange they would put up commercial that nasa would pay go back and forth to the stace and the long-range plan is to develop new rockets to go off

into deep space with the eventual goal of getting to mars, but they're ill-defined programs at present. we have no budgets or set timetables and it's not clear when any of that is going to happen. >> of course, we always focus on the astronauts but we know the shuttle program depended on thousands of people on the ground. what happens to all of them now? >> well, you know, the whole reason to kill the shuttle program in the first place was to reduce the cost of manned space flight to free up money do-to-go into new programs. the cost was really in the people it took to operate. the standing army of thousands of technicians and engineers that were responsible for the karnld feeding of these complex vehicles. that work force has been whittled down over the last couple of years. it's down to 6,000 now. et that force is going to be cut in half within the next couple of weeks and within a year there will only be a few hundred people left working on the museum displays as you talked about and wrapping up the program. it's the end of the line for the

shuttle and the people who worked on it. >> we know the u.s. will have to depend on russia to put human beings in space. will russia be in charge of training will the u.s. continue to train. >> they'll continue to train the u.s. and russian astronauts. that will continue. but the training for launch to ride on russian so i use rockets, that will happen in russia. nasa is going to be paying about $60 million a seat for astron t astronauts to ride on the russian so i use until new commercial aircraft can be developmented. >> this has to be a bittersweet moment for you, bill, watching every launch and landing. what memories will stay with you. >> well, 27 years actually. it's been a long time, as you same. i think my strongest memories, it goes to the second shuttle flight, one i covered for my college newspaper in tennessee. i'll never forget the sound, the thunder, the clothe vibrating on

you as the vehicle leapt off the space pad. i was lucky enough to have that happen. challenger, columbia, repairing the telescope. it's something i'll never forget. >> bill harwood at the kennedy space center on a historic day. thank you. we'll be right back with the rest of the day's news. sweet, ripe blueberries, so they're good for you -- taste real good, too! let's whip up a sample. or just try this. [ chuckles ] every day you live with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis

could be another day you're living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you by asking your rheumatologist about humira. for many adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis humira has been proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira's use in patients with ra has been evaluated in multiple studies during the past 14 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur such as, infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer, blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b,

are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make today the day you talk to your rheumatologist. and ask how you can defend against and help stop further joint damage with humira. the dangerous heat wave that's lingered over the midwest is moving toward the east today. record triple-dichlkt temperatures are expected in several cities, and high humidity will make it feel even hotter, but there's still no relief for the midwest except for the far northern plain states, cooler temperatures won't arrive until the weekend. the sweltering weather is a result of the heat dome, a high pressure up in the atmosphere that traps the heat below.

in chicago yesterday the heat index made it feel like 108 degrees. >> i was in an air conditioned room, and the moment i walked outside it was like a heat wave hit me. it was like smol dering. >> reporter: you got done working out. >> in the water, swimming and stuff. >> reporter: you're cool. >> i'm cool right now but in another 20 minute i'll be back to square one. >> the heat has sent dozens of people to the hospital, schools to close and strained grids. the security system is making changes to the whole body scanners that have disturbed many travelers. the current one shows images of a naked body but the new tsa software shows generic bodies. it hopes to upgrade half of the scanners by the end of the year. now to the budget battle. efforts to avoid the nation's first default may rest with a bipartisan deal now being hashed out in the senate.

it started with the so-called gang of six senators but support for the plan is growing as danida danielle noting ham is reporting. >> reporter: they're liberals de the plan's $500 billion in cuts to hemt programs and cuts to social security and medicate. $1.1 trillion in new tax revenue, closing corporate loop holes and reducing deductions. with the august deadline fast approaching, president obama changed his strategy and met with democrats and republicans separately. >> i think we're moving in the right direction. you know, as i've said consistently, we have to raise the debt feeling so we preserve the full faith of the united states app america. we have to fix the underlying

problem. >> reporter: the white house now says the president would s&p a very short-term extension of the debt limit, as in days, as long as a bigger deal was in place. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather and the latest on breast cancer. new recommendations for mammograms. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. [ female announcer ] nutri-grain -- one good decision...

can lead to another. ♪ ♪ with real fruit, more of the whole grains your body needs, and a good source of fiber. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. here's a look at the weather

in some cities toward country. in new york, sunny, 9 degrees. miami, 91, thunderstorms, partly cloudy in chicago, 93 degrees. in dallas, partly cloudy, 100. l.a., sunny. 82. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows mainly clear skies in the northern plains and midwest. thunder storms moving up the rocky mountains. some scattered showers are are dotting the southeast. the northeast, partly cloudy with areas of low-lying fog developing. later today, daytime highs will get into the 90s and 100s along the east coast as the heat bubble moves east, slowly leaving the northern plains. it's still very hot in the southern plains. more thunderstorms will form in the southeast and in upper new england. in health news, new guidelines for mammograms to detect breast cancer. the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists says all women should be getting their annual mammograms beginning at age 40. just two years ago the

government panel suggested routine mammography need not begin until age 50. on the "cbs moneywatch" stocks were mixed. ashley morrison is here in new york with more. good morning. >> good morning achlt quiet day for most of the asian markets. today wall street gets a weekly jobless claim numbers and earnings from microsoft, morgan stanley, and pepsi. on wednesday concerns over the debt debate pushed stocks lower. the dow lost 15 points while the nasdaq slid 12. wells fargo has agreed to pay $85 million to settle charges it engaged in predatory lending. that is the biggest fine ever imposed in such a case. federal investigators say the nation's largest mortgage lender falsified loan documents and pushed borrowers toward dangerous subprime mortgages during the housing boom. as part of the settlement the bank kneener admitted or denied

wrongdoing. today could be a rough day on capitol hill for ben bernanke. they want to know why what was signed a year ago has not been fully implemented. of the 240 rules, fewer than 50 have been completed. starterses of the first-ever u.s. concert by the beatles sold for more than $360 at an action in new york last night. the fab four's first u.s. show was in 1964 in washington, d.c. the photos were taken by mike mitchell who was 18 years oil at the time and says he was able to sneak close to the stage. and imitation is apparently not the best form of flattery for kim kardashian. the reality store is suing the store old navy for using a kardashian look iowa like. she believes they have violated her rights by using a woman who

looks like her. apparently they're trying a little too hard to keep up with the kardashians. wow. did look a little like her, but i don't know. >> you know something, i never would have noticed the difference, but then again i wouldn't be shopping what they're shopping for. thank you very much, ashley morrison, here in new york. in sports another break-up for tiger woods. this time he fired his longtime caddy. steve williams had worked with woods for years. woods said it was time for a challenge. woods won 72 tournaments with williams carrying his bag. when we return, phone hacking. it's dominating headlines both here and in the uk, and it turns it to be pretty easy to do. ooo whatcha got there?

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on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's

weather. the heat dome that's been sitting ore the middle of the country has been sitting with high temperatures and humidity. upper plains and new england see scattered severe thunderstorms. rupert murdoch is back in the united states. the media tycoon and his wife arrived home in new york from london yesterday. murdoch was questioned by members of the british par lament about the phone scandal that has rocked his media empire. investigations are ongoing in brittain and the u.s. british prime minister david cameron spoke to parliament yesterday, cameron trying to distance himself from his former communications chief and colson. cameron denied claims that he tried to stop the investigation into the hacking it turns out that hacking into someone's phone isn't that hard at

bill whitaker has that part of the story. >> reporter: it includes british royals, come onners and screen stars. don't think it's only happen tong other side of the atlantic. your phone and my phone can be hacked -- >> my ex-girlfriend found her way into my voice mail on my cell phone. >> reporter: -- just as easily as l.a. screen righter rich keith. >> she would know things on my voice mail and sometimes she would know them before i knew them. >> this is a crime that doesn't really leave a trail of evidence. >> reporter: fiber scientist christopher see i go ya says it's easy to do. at&t and sprint serve over 148 million customers. unlike other providers, they don't require p.i.n. numbers to access voice mail. hacking their phones is as easy as one, two, three. go to any number of websites, punch in your phone number, punch in the number you'd like

to hack and punch that number again to cover your tracks. as a demonstration he hacked his own phone in just three minutes. >> i'm in. >> reporter: when asked for interviews at&t and sprint issued statements instead. at&t says it takes security very seriously and strongly urges customers to set up voice mail pass words. sprint says if customers don't set up pass words, then we make it clear their account could be vulnerable. both sprint and at&t insist it is not easy to hack their phones from outside numbers and they say they allow their customers easy access or they can punch in a pass word. they say it's customer choice. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles this morning on "the early show", britain's phone scandal is a political crisis there and it may spread to this country. and we'll have live reports on the shuttle's final landing. i'm randall pinkston. this is the "cbs morning news."

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good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is thursday, july 21st. i'm andrea roane. >> we're almost there. i'm mike hydeck. here's angie goff with traffic in just a moment. mr. bernstein, you're man of the hour. >> yeah. going to be one of those days. >> heat index, 89 right now. >> right now. >> it may be 109 later on. we have an excessive heat warning issued from noon until

8:00 p.m. temperatures will be in the triple digits today, tomorrow and saturday as well. here is a look at your day planner. this is dangerous stuff, folks. you need to take precautions if you're going to be outside at all. plenty of water, plenty of breaks. find a cool place. 94 degrees at noon. 98 around 5:00 with a high right around 100. 82 sticky degrees. we've got the code orange air quality. the heat alerts, heat advisories in the mountain. the rest of us under excessive heat warnings from noon until 8:00 today and tomorrow. also, that heat index from 105 to 115. doing stuff outside, get done as early as you can. in fact, in d.c., they've been picking up the garbage an hour earlier so they can get done as early as possible. temperatures, low 80s in town. mid to upper 70s. shenandoah valley, northern maryland. down in virginia, also we're look at 79 in fredericksburg. 78 in southern maryland.

cambridge, somehow down to 72. in spite of all of the stickiness. these are the forecast highs today. perhaps low to mid-90s right along the bay. 100 in tappahannock. around 100 at reagan national and culpepper and winchester. hagerstown around 100. looking at the forecast heat indexes throughout the day. heat index, 105. mid noon, heat index 108. that will be about the same for 1:00 difficult afternoon to be outside. angie? >> thank you so much, howard. hope you're off to a great thursday. so far, so good outside. as far as accidents are concerned. we do have the yellow light on this morning because we're watching a situation from yesterday carry on over. silver spring, southbound georgia avenue, we still have the crews working that water main break. so, all southbound lanes do remain closed right now between randolph and arcola avenue. best bet this morning as far as alternates are concerned, connecticut avenue. moving to the outer loop, everything is all clear north of the district from 95 over to

interstate 270. the beltway in virginia, no complaints from 395 up toward braddock road continuing toward 66. now, on 66, that's where we have an issue. you're losing a couple of right lanes headed eastbound between 50 and 123. 95, you're doing ok from dumfries up to the mixing bowl. still ahead, we're staying in virginia taking a look at 267, the dulles toll road. back to you. thank you, angie. the searing heat that has baked the midwest is spreading east. the mercury is expected to climb in several states today. >> the temperatures here in the mid-atlantic will top 100 degrees and it is going to feel a lot hotter than that with the humidity levels, the heat index could be around 115. sweltering conditions could last as long as 10 days in some areas. >> the heat will have our ac cranked high. >> pepco and baltimore gas and

electric say the region's power supply is expected to be enough to meet the demand but they're asking you to help out by keeping your blinds and curtains closed during the day to keep your home cool. avoid using major appliances until the sun goes down. >> even with the extreme heat, repair crews return to a water main break in wheaton. >> be prepared for delays. the work and related closures is expected to impact your commute this morning. southbound georgia avenue remains closed at shorefield road. water has been restored. now the crews are refilling the hole. it is a big one. georgia avenue is closed in both directions from the northbound side is back open this morning. the commute is still going to be slow going there. >> with all of this talk of heat and humidity, it got us talking in the newsroom. so, we wondered is it better to be hot or better to be cold? >> you and i both agree, we decided to ask you to see what you thought on our facebook page. here's some of